Category Archives: Writing

Tis the Dickensian Season

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

h/t Tom Gauld  

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Thanksgiving : The Real Deal

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Today is the much loved and misunderstood holiday of Thanksgiving here in the former colonies. I can testify that the U.S. school systems almost always get it wrong when it comes to educating children about the historical roots of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Maps, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

there is nothing stable under heaven

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

James Baldwin : “The states of birth, suffering, love and death, are extreme states: extreme, universal, and inescapable. We all know this, but we would rather not know it. The artist is present to correct the delusions to which we … Continue reading →

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Don’t Fight The Winter

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get … Continue reading →

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Book Burning USA

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

So here we are well into the 21st century and the reactionary book burners are at it again. Just this week, some self-appointed guardians of American Aryan youth in the state of Virginia have called for removing books from schools … Continue reading →

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Neglected Books

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently reminded to visit the wonderful website Neglected Books which reviews and writes up books which are, as the name says, neglected. It features authors who have fallen out of fashion, obscure imprints, anything that’s a bit musty … Continue reading →

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Black Voices Matter

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Singer/songwriter/performance artist and actress Solange recently announced via her Saint Heron foundation that she would use the organization’s website to host a free digital library of rare works by Black writers and artists. The Saint Heron Community Library includes “stories … Continue reading →

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Sci-Fi Sundays

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the Best Short Science Fiction of 2020 was recently announced. It turned out to be a very timely selection. Rebecca Campbell’s novella “An Important Failure” explores creation in the face of … Continue reading →

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Brilliant Bookshops

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

You would be hard pressed to discover a bookshop in a more beautiful setting than the charming Atlantis Books in the tiny village of Oia on the stunning Greek island of Santorini. But it’s just one of the wonderful bookshops … Continue reading →

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The Tell-Tale Heart

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

What better time than Halloween for a story from America’s father of psychological horror. And what better example than The Tell-Tale Heart. Among the numerous of Poe adaptations for stage, screen and television, there are at least 20 versions of The … Continue reading →

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